


Healing

by hadfoot



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, muggle doctors piss draco off
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-25 21:10:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15648999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hadfoot/pseuds/hadfoot





	Healing

Muggle doctors made Draco nervous. Healers made him uncomfortable as well, but there was just something about a regular, everyday, no-magic-involved doctor that really set him on edge. Maybe, it was just that. There _wasn’t_ any sort of magic involved, and so the risk, at least in his mind, seemed to be much greater. And when _you_ were the one at risk, Draco felt as if he would lose his head at the mere thought of losing you. 

But it couldn’t be that serious, right? He wasn’t going to lose you. You only had a cold — that’s it, a cold. You were going to be just fine.

You _had_ to be fine. 

All Draco could hear was the ticking of a clock, and the soft sounds of your breathing as you sat on the edge of the exam table, your legs dangling over the side. You looked so small and out of place sitting on top of the white, paper sheet. He couldn’t tell if it was because of the oversized hospital gown, or if it was because you were scared, too.

No. You weren’t scared. You couldn’t be scared. You were the bravest person Draco knew. But, you were also the most stubborn, and that’s why it had taken him months to finally get you to see a doctor. He would’ve been impressed with your determination if it hadn’t been in regard to your health.

“There’s something you’re not telling me,” he sighed, crossing his legs as he shifted in the uncomfortable plastic chair. 

You didn’t look up at the man sitting before you, and he continued to keep his gaze fixed on the wall as he spoke. It was as if you were each having a staring contest with different objects in the room. You kept silent, swallowing the lump in your throat as he sighed once more.

Draco thought back to the previous night and the events which led to you finally agreeing to see a doctor, closing his eyes in utter frustration as he did so.

_Draco had the biggest smile on his face as he walked into your shared apartment. He couldn’t wait to see you and tell you about his day at work, as you were always so intrigued by what went on at the Ministry, and things has been exceptionally interesting that day. But, seeing as you were a muggle, you found everything about the wizarding world to be fascinating, much to Draco’s own amusement._

_However, upon entering your shared home, he frowned when he didn’t find you in the living room. Your favorite blanket was thrown onto the floor and the book you had been reading was discarded close by, the pages bent from the carelessness in which it was dropped. His stomach began to sink as he went to search the apartment._

_He checked every room, but there was no sign of you. Worry continued to build in his veins as he sat on the edge of the bed, his head falling into his hands as he tried his best to even his breathing. He was just about to pull out the phone you had given him for emergencies such as this and call everyone on his short contact list when he heard a small groan come from the ensuite. He could feel a small ounce of the overwhelming tension leave his shoulders as he made his way to the door, gently pushing it open only to have his heart drop at the sight._

_You were kneeling beside the toilet, your hair a matted mess against your sweaty forehead. You hadn’t heard him enter the room, and you lurched forward as another wave of nausea hit. You heaved, spilling the contents of your stomach. You didn’t think that you had had any more to throw up, but you were proven wrong. You groaned again, sitting back and putting your head into your hands._

_“Y/N? Darling, what’s wrong?” Draco asked gently, coming to sit beside you on the floor.  
_

_He pulled you into his lap, reaching up to feel your forehead. His eyebrows furrowed from the heat radiating off of your skin. Your temperature had to be over a hundred._

_You hardly had the energy to shake your head at his question. He hadn’t noticed the redness of your cheeks when he first entered the bathroom, and the vibrant shade caused his concern to deepen. He gently caressed your cheek, and thankfully, he missed the way you flinched when his fingers touched your skin. Your entire body was so sensitive._

_“I’m fine,” you mumbled, offering up a soft smile. “I probably just caught some sort of virus.”  
_

_Draco shook his head, “Stop lying to me. You haven’t felt fine in weeks.”_

_“Dray, really, I’m fi-” you began, but stopped when your stomach protested again. You jumped out of your boyfriend’s arms, lunging for the toilet. He grimaced, but held your hair away from your face and rubbed your back until the episode passed._

_Deciding that he didn’t want to have this conversation on the bathroom floor, he gently lifted you up and carried you back out to the couch. You clung to him, burying your face into his neck until he dropped you onto the cushion._

_“Y/N,” he started, taking both of your hands in his as he took a seat beside you. “If there’s something wrong, we need to figure it out, okay? You need to see a doctor. And don’t you dare say no, or that you’re fine. I don’t want to hear it. You’re going to the doctor tomorrow morning.”_

_You hesitated for a moment, contemplating on whether or not you should protest. You knew that you wouldn’t win this round, though. You had won this battle for months now, and your lucky streak was over. You knew you needed to go, but you also already knew what your doctor was going to say._

_And the last thing you wanted was for Draco to find out, but you knew it would happen eventually._

_You nodded your head, sinking into your lover’s arms as he began to run his fingers through your hair. The action was calming for you both, but only for a moment. When he retracted his hand, Draco was horrified to find strands of your hair dangling from his fingertips. He was grateful that your eyes were still closed as he balled the hair into his fist, thankful that you didn’t see the action._

_But oh, did you feel it._

_Looks like you were both trying to keep secrets, although you already knew his by the way his fingers caught in your hair._

Draco was pulled from his thoughts as the doctor walked into the room.

“Y/N, it’s nice to see you,” the other male greeted, wrapping his arms around you for a brief moment before rubbing your back soothingly.

“James,” you smiled, returning the physician’s hug. The gesture caused Draco to frown slightly, confused as to how the two of you knew each other so well. You caught the change in his demeanor and couldn’t help but chuckle at his jealous behavior. 

“James, this is my boyfriend, Draco Malfoy.”

“Ah,” James said, reaching forward to shake hands with Draco. “So nice to finally put a name with the face. I’m Dr. James Wilson”

Draco hummed, returning the doctor’s handshake rather firmly. You rolled your eyes at the exchange, sending James a look of apology.

Wilson sat on the stool, folding his arms as he regarded you with a faint smile. “How are you feeling, Y/N?”

You looked down at your feet, taking a moment to prepare yourself, and wanting to avoid your boyfriend’s grey eyes at all costs. For the several years you had been together, you had avoided having to tell him about this one part of your life. If you could have gotten away with it for forever, he would never know about this secret of yours. You took a deep breath and moved your focus to the ID badge hanging from your doctor’s shirt.

“I think I’ve relapsed,” you mumbled, twisting your hands in your lap. 

Wilson nodded, and you could feel Draco’s eyes bore into you. You could only imagine the look on his face, and the thoughts running through his head. He had to be angry with you. Beyond angry. 

You swallowed hard before continuing. “The nausea and vomiting just started. The pain and the swelling came back a few months ago, and my headaches are more frequent. I’m tired all of the time. The stupid butterfly-rash is back and I’m losing my hair…”

Draco flinched at the mention of your hair, but you weren’t looking at him to notice the small moment. 

“And why didn’t you come in sooner?” Wilson asked, leaning forward on his stool. 

“I was scared,” you admitted, shrugging your shoulders as if it wasn’t a big deal. “I don’t want to start chemo again, or any medication for that matter. I just want it to stop. I want it all to stop, James.”

The doctor nodded, rising to stand in front of you with a sad smile on his face as he spoke. “I’ll order some blood tests and we’ll go from there. You’re going to be fine, Y/N. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

You swallowed hard and nodded. Wilson patted your shoulder and gave a brief smile to Draco before leaving the room. You closed your eyes, preparing for the fight that was bound to breakout any second. But to your surprise, you felt two strong arms pull you into a tight embrace. You clenched your eyes tighter, willing yourself not to cry. You never cried. You couldn’t cry.

“What…what is it?” Draco whispered, swallowing the lump in his throat. 

You gripped onto the front of your boyfriend’s shirt, pulling him closer to you. “It’s called Lupus…it’s an autoimmune disease that causes my body to attack its own cells and organs. There’s no cure.”

“Is…is it…”

“Terminal? Not exactly…it can and usually will cause other health issues but…”

“And why didn’t you tell me?”

You shrugged, “I wanted you to treat me as if I was normal.”

“You thought I would treat you differently because you have an autoimmune disease?” he asked, leaning back so that he could stare down at you, his eyebrows furrowed.

“Everyone else did.”

“Well, I’m not everyone else, am I?”

You shook your head, pulling away but continuing to look everywhere but at Draco. “I just — I don’t want to go through fucking chemo again, Dray.”

“Come now, shhh,” he soothed, tilting your chin so that you would be forced to look at him. “We’ll get through this, you understand? You’ll get through this. I can pull some strings, see if I can’t find you a healer at St. Mungo’s. And if you lose your hair, you lose your hair. I won’t love you any less-”

“It’s not about the goddamn hair,” you hissed, anger bubbling in your veins, although not directed at the man standing in front of you. No, it was anger at the given situation. Anger at how unfair this all was. “I just hate how awful I feel all of the goddamn time. It’s _hell_ , Draco, and it makes me so miserable all of the time, and I don’t want you to see me like that. The doctors always say that it’s going to get better with time, but it never does. I’m stuck with this _bullshit_ for the rest of my life. The only thing that’s going to get better is my ability to hide it, and I think I’m already pretty good at that.”

Draco was at a loss for words. For once, he was absolutely speechless. Shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts, he pulled you off of the exam table until you were standing on your feet. Clenching his jaw, he crushed your body against his, and let himself break. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks, although he didn’t make a sound. If it wasn’t for the uneven rise and fall of his shoulders, you never would have realized that he was crying. 

“I’m going to fix this if it’s the last thing I do, understand me Y/N? We’re going to get you better. That’s a promise.”

“Draco, you don’t underst-”

“I promise,” he interrupted, pulling you closer if that were even at all possible. 

You couldn’t help but nod your head at the determination in his voice. “I believe you, Draco. I believe you.”

Draco wasn’t going to give up. He was going to do everything within his power to get you feeling better. You knew once he put his mind up to something that he _would_ achieve it, no matter what it took. 

Draco knew it wasn’t going to be easy, that much you knew, but between muggle and magic practices, he was sure that they would find you a solution.

For once, you didn’t feel alone.

You felt hope.

And that did more for you than any medicine ever could.


End file.
